Bosnia and Herzegovina

EASTERN SARAJEVO - Serbs from Republika Srpska (RS) commemorated on Saturday the death of 42 soldiers of the former Yugoslav Army (JNA) who were killed in the Dobrovoljacka street in Sarajevo 22 years ago, and at the same time, former members of the so called Green Berets gathered at the same location, but they dispersed without incident.

The Union for Changes was formally established at a ceremony held on April 30 in Banja Luka, the main city in Republika Srpska.

As a gesture of gratitude to former Pope John Paul II, recently procaimed a saint, a statue of the Catholic leader was unveiled in Sarajevo on April 30 to the delight of Bosnian Catholics and many other interested citizens in the mainly Muslim city.

The statue, made from a type of alumimium, represents the former Pontiff in an attitude of prayer.

People in the Brcko District marked the anniversary of the deaths of around 100 civilians who were killed in April 1992 when a bridge over the River Sava was blown up by Serb forces.

Former Bosnian Serb soldiers Bosiljko and Ostoja Markovic have been indicted by the state prosecution for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl in the Kotor Varos area in 1992.

Štrpce war crimes case "largely solved"

BELGRADE -- The case of the murder of passengers abducted from a train in Štrpce 21 years ago is now "largely solved," Bruno Vekarić has said.

There are more than 20 suspects in the territories of Serbia and Bosnia, the Serbian deputy war crimes prosecutor told B92.

Scotland and Catalonia similar to RS - Dodik

BANJA LUKA -- The Serb Republic, RS, should separate from Bosnia-Herzegovina as it cannot get "anything useful" from it, Milorad Dodik has told Newsweek.

The president of the Serb Republic entity cited the secession processes in Scotland and Catalonia as "similar examples."

A witness said that Bosnian Croat ex-fighter Indira Kameric, accused of abusing prisoners in Bosanski Brod, helped to assault a detainee and stamped on him with high-heeled shoes.

The defence lawyer for Edin Dzeko, a former member of the Bosnian Army’s Zulfikar Squad, said he was not guilty of executing six Croats in Trusina in 1993.

The House of Peoples, one of two chambers of Bosnia's parliament, confirmed the dismissal of Fahrudin Radoncic on April 29, citing his responsibility for public unrest and attacks on state institutions in February.

Confirmation of the decision on Tuesday came with seven delegates voting for, two against and two abstaining.